


Yes I Love You, No I Don't

by woojaes



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Attempt at Humor, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Miscommunication, Slytherins Being Slytherins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:29:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25875142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woojaes/pseuds/woojaes
Summary: "Why don't you just ask him?" Jaemin had suggested.Donghyuck balked. "I can't do that.""Why?"Donghyuck spoke in a quiet voice, more timid than normal. "Because then he'll know it's me."Hogwarts is hosting a summer ball. Donghyuck wants to ask Jeno but can't figure out how to do it. Chaos ensues.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Lee Jeno
Comments: 34
Kudos: 221
Collections: NOHYUCK FEST: 정답!





	Yes I Love You, No I Don't

**Author's Note:**

> thank you to the person who submitted this prompt! i had a lot of fun writing this and i hope i did it justice.
> 
> now with translation into [vietnamese!](https://www.wattpad.com/story/252425925?utm_source=android&utm_medium=link&utm_content=story_info&wp_page=story_details_button&wp_uname=liikoo1909&wp_originator=gNu8iEj2i8Ahullmb0XxPlmf9tUHJWaOCYchXa0D5XgsDZ7zSKfjwpub43cyHODVsPQhdQWkXX58NsJRG5a0IjVxKPa6l271oEWXyzWUIrjTIQe9bs0fUHe7eYL3bq8g).

Donghyuck thinks things would definitely have been easier if he wasn't a Slytherin. Donghyuck, who had been raised by two very proudly Slytherin parents and an older Slytherin brother, would rather be anywhere but here.

This all started with the announcement of a summer ball last year, at the last assembly before students finished for the Christmas break. Well, technically  _ this _ started on the Hogwarts Express on the 1st September six years ago at approximately 3:30pm, but Donghyuck wasn't counting.

_ This _ was Donghyuck's unexpected but unavoidable crush on none other than Lee Jeno.

Lee Jeno was out to ruin Donghyuck's life. The first time was on the train to Hogwarts at the age of 11, when Donghyuck and his friends snuck into Jeno's carriage while it was empty and replaced all the muggle sweets they could find with disguised Weasley Wizard Wheezes they bought a few days before. They hid and waited for Jeno and his friends to come back to witness the catastrophe, and were not left disappointed as, one-by-one, each occupant in the carriage was transformed into a giant canary. 

Donghyuck kept the memory in mind long into other school years, enough to bring a smile to his face every time he thought of it.

The second time was at the sorting ceremony only hours later, after the Canary Creams had worn off and all that remained were random yellow feathers on cheeks and in hair. Donghyuck had gone first, and spent no more than 5 seconds on the stool before the Sorting Hat announced he was a Slytherin and he ran off to sit at the table. He watched, curious, as Jeno approached the stool, put the Hat on his head (which was entirely too big for him so it slipped down over his eyes, and Donghyuck had to hold back another endearing laugh) and sat for at least 30 seconds in silence before it announced that he was a Gryffindor. 

Donghyuck didn't care for house rivalry, at least not like students of the past; no student had taken house rivalry seriously since 1998. But knowing that now he and the boy he pranked on the train were traditionally sworn enemies, it encouraged him to pull more elaborate pranks on him, eventually talk to him normally (in detention, of all places, after Jeno retaliated and they both got caught) and strike up an unusual but not unwelcome friendship, which blossomed into being Best Friends many months later.

_ This _ began, though, about halfway into their fifth year. 

Fifth year Potions was a gruelling subject anyway, made even more gruelling by OWL preparation and the heavy weight of expectation. In January, in one of the first classes they had after returning to school, Professor Kim introduced them to amortentia.  _ This _ is the root of Donghyuck's problem. He had read about amortentia in his textbook back in September when the year started, though obviously conveniently skimmed over the part that said it smelled differently to everyone.

Donghyuck was doomed. He shouldn't have been able to identify the warm, homely scent of Jeno's honey shampoo, or the familiarity of his peppermint toothpaste, or the fresh cotton of his newly-washed laundry. He shouldn't have been able to associate these smells with Jeno, but he did, he could, and this was Jeno's most spectacular prank to date, and the third and final reason why he was ruining Donghyuck's life.

("What do you smell?" Jeno had whispered to him while Professor Kim talked to the class about the ingredients and the method to make it. 

Donghyuck couldn't admit it. Not a chance. He lied instead. "Flowers, perfume and rain."

Jeno snickered in his ear and kicked him gently on the ankle. He claimed he smelled new leather, cinnamon and unopened books.)

He would never admit it, but Donghyuck sought advice from a copy of Witch Weekly that one of the Slytherin girls left in the common room long after everyone else had gone to bed. The magazine had conveniently been left open on an article, almost too convenient, and he would be lying if he said that the headline '5 Signs You're Attracted To Your Best Friend' didn't pique his interest.

The first sign was jealousy. Thinking back through their five-year friendship, Donghyuck could not think of a single person Jeno was attracted to. He had never dated anyone, and as far as Donghyuck knew he hadn't even had a crush. They kept in contact by owl over Christmas and summer, and even in Jeno's letters he never spoke of flings or feelings of any kind. Yet, as Donghyuck laid awake that night thinking about the article while his four roommates slept around him, he felt an ache in his chest at the thought. Hypothetically speaking, if Jeno ever hinted at having a crush on anyone, Donghyuck would be crushed. No pun intended.

The second sign was caring about appearances. Now, Donghyuck had been raised in a pretty prestigious, pureblood family. Status meant a lot to them, and even at home during the holidays he would never let anyone see him in less than his best. Jeno came from an average muggle family, so this was not a problem for him. What was strange even for Donghyuck though, was being able to ignore the wealth and the luxury around Jeno and just be himself. Unlike his parents or his brother, Jeno didn't care what he looked like, or how much money he had, or how much influence the Lee family had. Simply, to Jeno, he was just Donghyuck. He cared enough about appearances at home; it was not needed with Jeno.

The third sign was being around them constantly. Donghyuck had scrunched his nose up at this sign, because being around your best friend a lot didn't have to mean you liked them, but when he really thought about it that night under the cover of darkness, it made sense. Donghyuck spent as much time with Jeno as he could. They had a number of classes together and sat next to each other every time. They ate breakfast and lunch together, either Jeno would sit at the Slytherin table or Donghyuck would sit with the Gryffindors. They hung out together after their classes and weekends, and Donghyuck would watch Jeno's Quidditch training on some days, even though he didn't really like it. Thinking about it, being around Jeno made him happy.

The fourth sign was feeling butterflies in the stomach. Donghyuck initially had no idea what this meant but was able to pinpoint a few distinct times when he felt nervous, tingly and jittery around Jeno or after things he said or did, and he assumed that is what butterflies felt like. One time included: Gryffindor winning the House Cup in their fourth year with the help of Jeno scoring a goal while the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor seekers battled it out for the snitch somewhere else on the pitch, and somehow even above ground Jeno was able to find Donghyuck's eyes in the Slytherin stands and smile at him. His eyes disappeared into thin slits and he bared his teeth, pure happiness and pride, and that smile sent a bolt of lightning through Donghyuck's spine. After the game, Jeno found Donghyuck as he was leaving the stands, pulled him aside and smothered him in a hug. Jeno was sweaty and hot from the blaring sun and Donghyuck may have cringed as Jeno's dirty Quidditch shirt was pressed against his own, clean and crisp, but Donghyuck hugged him back anyway. The warm, wavy feeling he had in his stomach didn't subside until much later. At the time he assumed he was sick and dinner that night gave him a much-needed energy boost, but he was perhaps a little naive.

The fifth and final sign was picturing yourself in a relationship with them. The thing was, Donghyuck had never pictured himself in a relationship with  _ anyone _ . He was independent and self-sufficient and relationships didn't really matter, or at least they didn't until he met Jeno. He was the first real and genuine friend he had, as every other friendship in his life had been forged out of expectation rather than merit. His parents made him interact with other future-Slytherins, the children of their own school friends, and that was all he knew. Pranking Jeno that day on the train was an idea shared between three boys who just wanted to cause trouble, none of them realising that Jeno would eventually mean more to Donghyuck than they did, and now, five years later, there's nothing he wanted more than to keep a hold on Jeno forever. At the same time he laid awake thinking about Jeno developing feelings for someone, he found himself wondering what it would be like if, by some miracle, Jeno developed feelings for  _ him _ . The thought of holding his hand, sleeping together in the same bed (an impossible fantasy, but still, he could dream), going on dates to Hogsmeade and  _ kissing  _ him, didn't disgust him at all. In fact, he realised with a sinking gut that he wanted all of that, and more.

So he woke up the next morning more nervous to see Jeno than he'd ever been. He washed his face, dressed and went up to the Great Hall for breakfast. Jeno had saved him a seat at the Gryffindor table; beautiful, sweet Jeno who he now knew he had a crush on, had done for at least a year unknowingly, who was beckoning him over with a smile that could rival the sun. 

Donghyuck was doomed. His heart dropped to his stomach. 

It seemed that after Donghyuck had his moment of self-awareness, his feelings for Jeno amplified. Every time Jeno so much as smiled at him (which he did quite a lot, to multiple people, because Jeno exuded happiness wherever he went) his insides felt like they had been punched by the Whomping Willow, air knocked out of his lungs. He tried to ignore him but Jeno was a difficult person to ignore (not just because he was Donghyuck's best friend, but because he was also strikingly handsome, a good Quidditch player and a social butterfly) so it lasted mere hours before Jeno was asking for help with his Charms homework and Donghyuck's resistance crumbled.

So, Donghyuck did the next best thing he could think of: pretend not to notice, and swallow anything that threatened to spill.

It was easier said than done most of the time, especially because Jeno was nothing if not attentive and he could always tell when Donghyuck had something on his mind. What could Donghyuck say, really, in response to Jeno's questions of "what are you thinking about?" when the answer was right in front of him (literally)? He thought he did a good job of hiding until their mutual friend, a Ravenclaw called Renjun and therefore the most rational person each of them knew, made brash assumptions that turned Donghyuck's spine to ice.

"So what are you and Jeno doing this summer?" Renjun had asked. He and Donghyuck stood outside the entrance of Honeydukes with a paper bag of sweets each while Jeno was still inside, caught at the end of a long queue of other people to pay. It was an innocent question.

"Why would I know what Jeno's plans are?" He had asked. 

Renjun had blinked at him. "You're dating him, aren't you? I assumed you spend your summers together."

Donghyuck liked to pride himself on being calm and collected even in the face of a challenge. In five years of Hogwarts and after multiple mock duels, he had never flustered in front of another person (except Jeno himself, but since he was the object of Donghyuck's affection he didn't count). Donghyuck immediately began to stutter.

"Huh? What? He's not my boyf–… We aren't dating. He's just my best friend." 

Renjun unravelled a sweet and popped it into his mouth, smirk playing around the corners of his lips. "Okay, you don't need to be so defensive. My mistake."

But the damage had already been done. Once a seed was planted in Renjun's mind it was notoriously difficult to stop it from growing. Only days later, about to board the train to go home for the summer, Renjun asked another question designed to freeze his soul.

"Are you going to ask Jeno out over the summer?"

Jeno was talking to a teacher while other students around them gathered in groups and hoarded their belongings through the carriages. Donghyuck wasn't worried about being overheard. 

"I don't like Jeno like that," he answered.

Renjun had turned to face him, arms crossed over his chest. His face was blank; it was clear he was not at all interested in Donghyuck's excuses.

"Yeah, sure you don't." At that moment, the caretaker blew the whistle announcing final boarding for the train. Jeno was in the doorway of one of the carriages, waving him over. Donghyuck was both angry at him (for being every positive adjective he could think of, mind you, and not for any real reason) and in love with him at the same time. 

"Have a good summer, Donghyuck. See you in September." Renjun then smiled, secretive, walked off to another part of the platform, and boarded the train to meet with his own friends. Jeno had saved a seat for them in a carriage so Donghyuck joined him. As the train pulled out of the station and the towers of Hogwarts faded into cloud with the distance, Donghyuck actually considered Renjun's suggestion for the smallest second before swallowing that too. He would miss Jeno in private over the summer with only letters suffice and wait to pine over him from afar again in autumn. Jeno could never find out. Donghyuck would not allow it.

Except right now, present day, Donghyuck would rather be anywhere than here.

Hogwarts had hosted many formal dances and balls in its lifetime, but this was the first for current students. There was no real reason for it except to strengthen bonds between different houses (no one wanted a repeat of twenty-five years ago, thank you very much) and encourage house cooperation. Jeno, always the sociable one of them both, immediately signed up to be part of the organising committee (and to be honest, all prefects were expected to attend, so Donghyuck as Slytherin prefect simply had no choice but to be involved too) but Donghyuck had absolutely no intention of asking anybody, especially not Jeno.

That changed very quickly, however, when Renjun mentioned that  _ he  _ wanted to ask Jeno. During another of Professor Binns' very tedious History of Magic classes in which he spoke about the history of wandlore in his monotonous voice (and one of the only classes that 6th year Slytherins didn't have with Gryffindors, but Ravenclaws instead) Renjun nudged Donghyuck in the side. It wasn't as if he was concentrating anyway, because Professor Binns had a way of making boring subjects even more boring, but it surprised him because Renjun did actually pay attention most of the time and took notes properly instead of leeching off others later. 

"Donghyuck, who are you going to the ball with?" He whispered.

Donghyuck shrugged and rested his chin on his crossed arms, slouched on the desk in front of him. His quill sat forgotten on his parchment next to him.

"No one, why? Who are you going with?"

Renjun spoke in a whisper again and bent down so he was level with Donghyuck's face, less chance of being overheard. 

"Well, I was going to ask Jeno."

Donghyuck's breath lodged in his throat. He stared at the chalkboard with wide eyes, unbreathing. Professor Binns' ghostly figure floated through the chalkboard to fetch something behind it and Donghyuck shivered, having experienced the feeling of walking through a ghost far too many times.

"Jeno? Why?"

Donghyuck turned to face Renjun who stared at him expectantly. He at least had the decency to look bashful at his (frankly, ridiculous) suggestion.

"He's handsome, don't you think? I've liked him for a while." 

Donghyuck blinked. He'd known Renjun since their first day at Hogwarts, having sat next to him in his first ever Defense Against the Dark Arts class six years ago, and yet in six years, just like Jeno, he never mentioned liking anyone. Their friendship wasn't deep enough to discuss  _ feelings _ .

"Jeno doesn't like anyone like that."

Renjun shrugged, "I'd like to take my chances."

"So why are you telling me?"

This made Renjun smile. "You know him best, don't you? Just asking for advice on how to do it."

Donghyuck isn't proud of it (okay, maybe he is) but he lied to Renjun and told him to ask him publicly knowing full well Jeno would hate to be asked that way and would probably say no out of sheer embarrassment. Donghyuck was born and raised a Slytherin, of course, and would never let Renjun ruin Donghyuck's plans of pining over his best friend. He was also competitive by nature, and Renjun admitting that he wanted to ask Jeno spurred Donghyuck to confess (to himself, but still) that maybe he did want to go to the ball with Jeno, even if just as friends. With the knowledge that he was now in impromptu rivalry with Renjun over Jeno's affection, he made a list of ways he could ask him with the help of fellow Slytherin, Jaemin.

Jaemin was the only person besides Jeno who Donghyuck actually trusted, if only because he was also a Slytherin and because he knew him for most of his life. Jaemin found out about Donghyuck's enormous crush on Jeno from a trip to The Three Broomsticks just before Christmas. Jeno had chosen not to go to Hogsmeade that day in favour of extra Quidditch practice before the holidays and Renjun chose to spend it with his own friends, so Donghyuck dragged Jaemin with him. They sat sipping on warm butterbeers shielded from the freezing air, talking about everything and nothing all at once, when conversation turned to the summer ball.

"Are you not asking Jeno?" 

Once again Donghyuck panicked. 

"Why would I be?" 

"Aren't you dating?"

Donghyuck took a sip of his butterbeer at that specific moment to stop himself choking and answered only after swallowing.

"No, what the fuck? He's my best friend. Renjun asked me the same question."

Jaemin quirked his eyebrow and rested his chin on his palm, elbow on the table.

"But you like him, though." 

Donghyuck swore under his breath and picked up his wand from the table, pressing the tip to Jaemin's nose with his eyes narrowed. He smiled and calmly moved it aside with his finger. 

"C'mon Donghyuck, I've known you since we were kids."

"You don't know me," Donghyuck said, and even he could admit he sounded about as threatening as a Pygmy Puff.

Jaemin rolled his eyes. "Stop with the dramatics. I'm not an idiot." 

Maybe it was the fact that they had known each other for years, or maybe Donghyuck consumed too much sugar that day, but he put his wand back on the table with a resounding sigh.

"Fine, so what if I do? He doesn't like me anyway." 

Jaemin was kind enough to let Donghyuck wax poetic about Jeno that frosty afternoon even if he knew he would deny it if anyone asked, so he wasn't surprised at all when Donghyuck approached him in the common room with a spare piece of parchment, asking for help to ask Jeno to the ball. He was, after all, the only person who actually  _ knew _ and Donghyuck needed as much help as he could get. 

The problem was, Jaemin was equally as clueless in that regard. Some of his unwritten suggestions were unusual at best and completely terrifying at worst, but Donghyuck was racing against Renjun for the ultimate prize of being Jeno's date to the ball so he had to make it count, and he had to get Jeno's attention one way or another. 

("Why don't you just ask him?" Jaemin had suggested. "You're his best friend, you could just talk to him."

Donghyuck balked. "I can't do that."

"Why?"

Donghyuck spoke in a quiet voice, more timid than normal. "Because then he'll know it's me.")

Jaemin's first suggestion was to send Jeno a letter. Nothing wrong with that, completely normal; except this was  _ Jeno _ , one of the most admired students in the school. The fact that he was promoted to Quidditch captain at the beginning of the year only made him more desirable, and despite never showing an interest in anybody else, he seemed to have admirers keen to ask him to be their valentine. So Donghyuck would have to be different. This letter couldn't be like the others. 

So Donghyuck decided to send a Howler.

The owls brought the morning post over breakfast, so while Jeno and Donghyuck sat together at the Slytherin table with cereal and toast in front of them, an array of things were dropped over both of them, including Donghyuck's newspaper and a letter and photo from his parents. Jeno received a small food parcel from his parents too, and there on top of it was the Howler, red envelope and black wax seal bringing a lump to Donghyuck's throat. It was only in this moment, a spoon of cereal halfway to his mouth, that Donghyuck realised what a spectacularly bad idea this was. 

Jaemin, several seats down, caught Donghyuck's eye and motioned to the envelope in front of Jeno with questioning eyes. Donghyuck nodded, and Jaemin at least looked sympathetic for what was inevitably about to be a disaster.

Jeno put his food parcel to one side and took the envelope in hand, turned it so the seal faced up and slid his fingers under the paper flap to pry it open. As he did so, a shrill voice sounded and Jeno dropped the envelope in surprise; one thousand eyes turned to stare at the commotion and Donghyuck wanted nothing more than for Devil's Snare to strangle him at that very moment. 

"Lee Jeno!" The envelope screamed and levitated in mid air in front of Jeno's shell-shocked face. Donghyuck's life flashed before his eyes. " _ Your eyes are as brown as a broomstick, your voice as sweet as tea, I wish you were mine, you're really divine, please go to the summer ball with me? _ "

The Howler burst into flames and Jeno stared with wide eyes at the ashes as they landed inside his bowl of cereal. For several long seconds, the Great Hall was silent as everyone else recovered from the shock, but when they finally realised what had happened, the room erupted into loud, roaring laughter, student and teacher alike. 

Donghyuck added this moment to his reasons of why Lee Jeno was ruining his life. 

"Why would someone ask me to the ball with a Howler? Are they trying to scare me off or something?" Jeno pulled a face as he spooned the now soggy ashes out of his cereal milk. Donghyuck tried his hardest to avoid eye contact with him.

"Maybe they just didn't know how to ask," Donghyuck offered, but even he knew how silly it sounded. How he ever thought this would go well, he had no idea.

"Screaming in my face wasn't exactly the best idea," Jeno said, this time with a smile in his voice. He obviously meant no malice, but Donghyuck knew he had to try harder.

He went back to the list.

Jaemin's next suggestion was sending a gift. Again, easy enough, but the task of finding a gift that Jeno would actually like was more difficult. Despite being from very different backgrounds and in different houses, much of their friendship was about being similar. Jeno liked many of the same books as Donghyuck, liked the same school subjects and they were mostly good at the same things (except Donghyuck had exactly zero interest in Quidditch and Jeno was not the exemplary student that Donghyuck was). Jeno's family was rather modest and as such he felt uncomfortable with grandiose things and much preferred low-key presents. 

It was armed with this knowledge that Donghyuck enlisted the help of his older brother, Dongyoung.

Dongyoung was four years Donghyuck's senior. Five years ago he left Hogwarts and went to work at Gringotts, and stayed there ever since. This meant one very important thing: he had access to Diagon Alley on an almost daily basis. Donghyuck sent a desperate owl asking for help with a gift for Jeno, and Dongyoung sent back a mysterious package that Donghyuck daren't open.

The problem therein was Dongyoung's morbid interest in the obscure and unusual. He was never one to dabble in Dark Arts, but found the study of them from an otherwise academic perspective to be intriguing, and thus spent more time in Knockturn Alley inspecting the shop windows than he did in Diagon Alley's more family-friendly counterparts. 

This was disaster number two. Donghyuck should never have asked him for help.

It was a Saturday when Donghyuck decided to subtly gift the mysterious parcel to Jeno, and he did so by bribing a fifth year Hufflepuff called Chenle with money and sweets if he delivered it anonymously. They sat together on the banks of the Great Lake with textbooks open in front of them, sharing answers for their Transfiguration homework when Chenle approached, held the brown package out to Jeno and advised it was from "his secret admirer" before turning around and walking away.

Jeno and Donghyuck shared a (well-disguised, of course) look of surprise. Jeno put his quill on his parchment and took the package between his palms, and carefully ripped open the paper.

The only saving grace for Donghyuck this time was the fact that it wasn't nearly as public, and if anyone heard Jeno's scream they certainly didn't comment on it. From the brown package spilled an array of green and black jewellery and various other weird artefacts, but the worst of all was the dried, taxidermied head of a Cornish Pixie, which Jeno extracted with the tips of his fingers and placed on the grass, grimacing. The jewellery had a strong metallic smell to it and looked like it had been dipped in some shiny liquid, and when Jeno accidentally brushed his finger on it, it created boils on the pads of his fingers that swelled and burst with a foul-smelling green liquid. Donghyuck had no idea what the purpose of this gift was or why Dongyoung had decided this would be a good idea in any way, but that night Donghyuck wrote a long threatening letter listing all the ways he was going to murder him and sent it off with the owls, first class.

Donghyuck escorted Jeno to the hospital wing to receive some kind of remedy to the cursed parcel. The healer wanted to report the objects to the Headmistress thinking it was a resurgence of Dark Magic but Donghyuck begged her not to in secret. She only listened when he assured her that his brother wasn't dangerous, neither was he, and this wasn't a copy-cat crime similar to that of Lord Voldemort from years prior. Instead, he got away from the scene with his heart intact but points deducted for the reckless endangerment.

Jeno, unsurprisingly, was unimpressed by the creepy gift and when his hands recovered, he threw the objects into a fire and burned them until they were nothing but broken metal and ash. The only thing he kept was a letter, written in Dongyoung's neat cursive so Jeno wouldn't figure out who it was:  _ I really like you, I hope you like me too. Please enjoy the other things, you're my pixie without wings _ . 

(Donghyuck wasn't going to take credit for the awful poetry this time. Neither he nor Dongyoung were known for their literacy. At least the wording made Jeno laugh.)

The final suggestion was for  _ himself _ to be the gift. This was a little difficult to plan, but he asked for help from the only other Gryffindor he knew: a Seventh Year called Mark. Mark was like Jeno in many ways, except where Jeno was not particularly fiery, Mark was confident, bold and charismatic. He was not just in the room, he was a part of it, by nature or by force. He was Head Boy, so Donghyuck as prefect had met him before, and he was also the most talented Transfiguration student in the entire school, recognised even by the Headmistress in her yearly assemblies, so it was definitely in Donghyuck's interest to befriend him, even if it  _ was _ only to advance his own goals. 

Which is how he found himself ambushing Mark outside the greenhouses after his Herbology class, under the guise of needing to talk prefect business. Mark was only too happy to oblige, and chatted happily as they walked back to the castle while Donghyuck waited for the chance to interrupt.

"Mark–" Donghyuck said while Mark was half-way through a spiel about events he had planned for the rest of the school year. Mark stopped mid-sentence. "Mark, I need your help."

Mark stopped walking too, an eyebrow raised. "With what?"

Donghyuck stopped too and turned to face him. "I need you to transfigure me into a cat."

This wasn't the most unusual thing Donghyuck had ever said, but it was quite close to it. Mark blinked. "Why?"

"No reason." Donghyuck smiled. "Will you do it?" 

Mark's expression changed. "Do you know how difficult human transfiguration is? You could get stuck forever."

"Which is why I need you to be there to reverse it."

Mark hesitated. "I don't think so, Donghyuck. I've never done it before…"

"Mark," he said and stood closer to him. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't absolutely essential."

Mark took his wand from his pocket and pointed it at Donghyuck. "And how do I know you're not abusing your prefect position and trying to get me in trouble for helping you?"

Donghyuck wasn't prepared to fight. He took his wand out anyway. "I am many things, Mark, but a liar and a cheater I am not."

(And okay, maybe that  _ was _ a lie, but he was desperate.)

It took several days and a great deal of persuasion for Mark to come around; Donghyuck even offered to make an Unbreakable Vow so Mark would trust him, and even though he never did, the fact that Donghyuck was willing to sacrifice his freedom for Mark's wholesome lifestyle seemed to satisfy him and he reluctantly agreed to practice the spell. Three days later, armed with more adrenaline than energy, and together with Mark who constantly voiced his opinions about how stupid this was, they met in an empty classroom not far from the Gryffindor common room.

"Why do you need to be a cat to get Jeno's attention anyway? Aren't you dating?" Donghyuck pointedly chose to ignore Mark's second question.

"Who said I'm doing this for Jeno?" 

Mark deadpanned and crossed his arms. "Do you have any other Gryffindor friends all of a sudden? Why else would we be here?"

Good point.

"So, the plan," he said. "You transfigure me into a cat and attach  _ this _ note to  _ this  _ collar," Donghyuck held up a neatly folded letter in one hand and a leather collar in the other. "Then you follow me into the common room, wait til I'm done, and transfigure me back."

"Why a cat anyway?"

Donghyuck shrugged his shoulders. "I like cats."

Mark pulled a face. "Things would be much easier if you were a Gryffindor, you know that?"

Donghyuck was not about to entertain such a thought. Mark took a very deep breath, and with utmost concentration, pointed his wand directly at Donghyuck and uttered the incantation with precision.

The transformation was quick. Black hair sprouted in patches over his skin and he shrank, dramatically, down to the size of an average house cat. His knees buckled and he fell forward, and the arms he used to steady himself became two front legs. From just above his butt grew a long, shiny tail, and finally his face; whiskers appeared either side of his nose and black ears sprung out from the top of his head. With the transformation complete, Mark pocketed his wand and bent down to Donghyuck's size and held out his hand to pet him on the head.

Even as a cat Donghyuck was not having any of that and swiped his hand gently with one of his front paws. Mark looked affronted.

"Fine, fine," he grumbled, attaching the letter to the collar and the collar to Donghyuck's neck. "You know where Jeno will be?"

Donghyuck could not answer, so instead he sprinted off out of the classroom and took the path to the common room. He'd never been inside it, obviously, but had seen Jeno disappear inside the portrait many times that he knew where it was. Mark soon caught up, uttered the password so the portrait door swung open, and they both stepped inside.

If any of the other students noticed a mysterious black cat enter the room, they didn't find it suspicious.

Except Donghyuck wished he didn't do this, like all of his other attempts so far. This one was the worst. He would rather be anywhere but here.

_ Here _ was in the boy's dormitory, on top of Jeno's bed, on top of  _ him _ , waiting for him to wake up. He realised this was a bad idea for two reasons: the first being that Jeno was beautiful all the time, even when he wasn't trying to be, but he looked especially serene while asleep. He and Jeno had never had the chance to sleep together because of the restrictions on sharing beds, so for Donghyuck this was the first time he had ever seen Jeno so peaceful. He laid his full tummy on Jeno's chest and allowed himself to enjoy it, to pretend that he wasn't in a cat's body right now, to pretend that they slept together in a bed of their own because they were hidden lovers in a tiny cottage in the countryside. Jeno's breathing was soft and calm and he made small, restful noises as he slept. Donghyuck's heart soared. He had never felt so in love with him.

The second reason this was a bad idea came when Jeno woke up. It soon became apparent that he was stirring as a result of the weight on his chest so Donghyuck stepped back onto the mattress to not hurt him. The first thing Jeno did when he rolled over and opened his eyes was produce an almighty sneeze, so loud it shook the wooden bed frame and woke the four other boys that shared the room with him, and Donghyuck suddenly, in the back of his mind, recalled a conversation they had many years ago where Jeno said he was allergic to cats.

So yes, Donghyuck would rather be anywhere but here. Of all the places he had to embarrass himself (and this time it could most definitely be pointed straight to him) it had to be in front of Jeno and his friends, in front of  _ Gryffindors _ . His heart sank.

Jeno, still half asleep and covering his nose with his hand, took the letter from his collar and read it. This letter was unlike the others he had tried to send. He spent three days writing, re-writing and re-re-writing it so it would be perfect. Donghyuck sat on his back legs and observed Jeno's reaction to the words as he read them. 

_ Dear Jeno _ , it read.  _ The first two attempts to talk to you were a disaster. Please ignore the poor excuse for poetry and the questionable methods, I want you to know, truly, that this isn't a joke to me. I've wanted to ask you to the ball for months because I like you and it took me until very recently to realise it. You are probably sick of being asked, but if you read this and the answer is no, this never happened. If you read this and the answer is yes, say it to the cat. He knows who I am and will relay the message. I'll meet you at the entrance of the Great Hall at exactly 7pm, if you decide to. From, your secret admirer. _

Jeno's lips curled into a smile in the corners and he put the letter down carefully on the cabinet next to his bed. Then he yawned, pulled his hand away, rested his chin on his palm with his eyes half closed, and spoke directly to Donghyuck. He prepared his heart for the worse.

"Hyuckie," Jeno said fondly, addressing him with the nickname only he was allowed to use. "You are completely unsubtle."

If he could blush right now, he would have been on fire. 

"The Howler screamed at me in your voice," he smiled. "And you're the only person I know with even a small interest in Dark Arts. I know you're you right now because of your eyes. Also this," he waved the paper letter, "is your handwriting." 

Jeno grasped the cat between two palms and picked him up gently, holding him out far enough that he wouldn't inhale the fur. Donghyuck, bewildered, wriggled and squirmed in Jeno's hold.

"Point is," he said. "I've known it's you since the first time you asked. I quite enjoyed the poems, actually, even if the delivery wasn't great. You should consider doing it after we leave."

Donghyuck swiped his paw on Jeno's nose. 

"Yes I will go to the ball with my secret admirer. Tell the human you're working for that I will meet you at the Great Hall at exactly 7pm," he grinned and put the cat down on his mattress, careful not to be too close.

Donghyuck, not knowing what else to do, meowed. 

"Who transfigured you, anyway? Was it Mark?" 

He meowed again.

"Is he downstairs?"

A meow.

"As much as I like this new you, I do very much want human Donghyuck back."

So Jeno picked up the cat in front of the four pairs of eyes of his house mates, held him gently in his arms (again, at a distance) and carried him down the stairs into the common room. It was early enough that only a few people were sat on the sofas, Mark included. 

"Mark, I think we have a cat in need." 

"Is he done? Was it worth whatever he wanted to tell you?" 

Jeno smiled. "Yeah, it was. But I miss him, can you reverse it now?"

Of course the reversal didn't go smoothly, because the events leading up to this point didn't go smoothly either and Donghyuck seemed to bring bad luck sometimes. He had the same height, the same skin and same face, except kept his cat nose and whiskers, and one of the ears. The Gryffindors had a great laugh at his expense and in Donghyuck's mind he promised to seek revenge against them all (except Mark and Jeno, though).

The healer chose not to ask questions when he arrived at the hospital wing, escorted by Jeno. Donghyuck was grateful for that. She gave him a potion to completely reverse the spell (which tasted awful and made Donghyuck gag), a bed and told him to stay there for the day. For the first time ever, they were able to share a bed as Jeno climbed in next to him.

"Hyuckie, why didn't you just ask me? In person? Why all the dramatic stuff?" 

Donghyuck sighed softly. Thinking about it, it was rather silly. 

"Because I had to compete with someone, and I didn't just want to be another person."

Jeno was silent for a moment before he took Donghyuck's closest hand in his own and played with the fingers. It did weird but wonderful things to his insides.

"Everyone else is another person. Even if you just mentioned it casually in conversation I would have said yes."

Donghyuck looked down at the hands. He curled his fingers up to wrap gently around Jeno's, and he did the same.

"Oh."

"Who were you competing with anyway? You've never cared when people send me letters before."

This was the question he had been dreading. Several weeks ago, the possibility of Renjun asking Jeno seemed very real.

"Renjun. He told me he wanted to ask you. I thought this time was different because you know him, we're friends, so I thought he stood a bigger chance."

Jeno paused for a few seconds, then burst into laughter. People in the other beds stared at him with annoyance, and Donghyuck had to shush him to get him to be quiet.

"Hyuckie," he said when he calmed down. He spoke with a voice full of complete adoration and those butterflies he swallowed back at the Quidditch match in fourth year suddenly fluttered all over again. "Renjun, who has been dating Jaemin since September? That Renjun?"

Nevermind. The butterflies stopped and the smile wiped off his lips. "What?"

"You didn't know?"

Of course Renjun would conspire against him like this and of course Jaemin would go along with it. Of course Renjun challenged him knowing full well Donghyuck would rise up to it. 

"I can't believe them both. What the fuck? They tricked me!" 

Jeno started to laugh again, and he was so loud the healer had to sternly remind him to be quiet. 

"I can't believe you fell for that! They're so obvious."

"Shut up," Donghyuck grumbled. 

Jeno was not normally one for serious affection. He liked hugs, but would never touch people otherwise. Donghyuck rarely even allowed hugs, but definitely only ones from Jeno. So it surprised him when Jeno leant in and pressed his lips to Donghyuck's cheek, not quite a kiss but  _ something _ . It was enough to bring an exhale of breath from Donghyuck's throat.

He would never tell either of them, of course, but he was grateful for their unwelcome intervention because he probably wouldn't have even considered asking Jeno if it wasn't for their help. (But when he was discharged from the hospital wing that evening, whiskers and ears vanished, he didn't hesitate to threaten them both in front of everyone at dinner. Getting points deducted was worth it.)

**Author's Note:**

> if you made it to the end, THANK YOU and i hope you enjoyed.
> 
> thank you also to my beta, tenspetal. ♡
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/inj4nie?s=09).


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